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Imphal, India set to see first int'l ops with Air KBZ

Air KBZ (K7, Yangon) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Imphal-based KB Enterprises to launch direct scheduled services between the north-eastern Indian airport and Mandalay Int'l in Myanmar, The Assam Tribune has reported.

Further details regarding the potential launch date or schedule have not been revealed yet.

The MoU was inked by Air KBZ Chief Operating Officer U Kyaw Han and Pangambam Kunjabihari of KB Enterprises in Yangon.

When launched, services between Imphal and Mandalay will become the former airport's only international route. According to the ch-aviation schedules module, Imphal is currently served by IndiGo Airlines, Air India, and AirAsia India and has scheduled flights to seven domestic destinations.

Air KBZ also does not currently operate international flights, having suspended its last international route from Yangon to Chiang Mai in Thailand in January 2019. The Myanma airline, a sister carrier of MAI - Myanmar Airways International, operates nine ATR72-500s and three -600s.

Mandalay's international network currently covers fifteen airports in mainland China, three in Thailand, and Macau Int'l.

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In an interview with The Myanmar Times, the Deputy Director of the Department of Civil Aviation, General U Ye Htut Aung, said airports at each of Heho, in Shan State, Mawlamyine, in Mon State, and Kawthaung, in the Tanintharyi Division, will be upgraded to allow for international flights.

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